2 children, mother killed in I-95 rollover wreck, officials say

A South Daytona woman and two of her children are dead following a rollover wreck Friday afternoon on Interstate 95, officials said.

KATIE KUSTURASTAFF WRITER

DAYTONA BEACH -- A South Daytona woman and two of her children are dead following a rollover wreck Friday afternoon on Interstate 95, officials said.

Michelly Zulfiqar, 38, and her 10-year-old son Hami were pronounced dead at the scene, and 3-year-old Dani died at Halifax Health Medical Center, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Zulfiqar's son, Sami, 4, was initially taken to Halifax Health but later airlifted to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando with critical injuries, according to FHP.

FHP spokeswoman Sgt. Kim Montes said Friday night that the father, local physician Dr. Hassan Zulfiqar, was at the hospital with the 4-year-old.

Friends and family gathered Saturday night at the Islamic Cultural Center of Daytona Beach to offer prayers and support.

The family has suffered horrific loss before.

In 2006, the Zulfiqars' 2-year-old son, Hadi, died after falling off the family boat onto the propeller outside the family's South Daytona home.

“Our faith in God, and friends, neighbors and colleagues were really instrumental in recovering from that terrible loss,” Hassan Zulfiqar said in an interview last year.

FHP investigators said Zulfiqar was driving a 2010 Mercedes van southbound on I-95 Friday and, for unknown reasons, traveled onto the shoulder and struck the wall of the overpass at LPGA Boulevard, causing the van to roll over. Investigators said no one inside the van was wearing a seat belt.

The crash, which occurred about 3:20 p.m., backed up traffic on the interstate north to State Road 40 for a few hours, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The crash also left the right southbound lane of I-95 blocked and shut down the ramp from westbound LPGA Boulevard onto I-95.